More Grizzly Than Cuddly in the Cage

Josh
Copeland is a former ministry student whose nickname is “Cuddly
Bear,” but do not let those facades fool you. He is quietly putting
together an impressive resume as a professional mixed martial
artist.

The 33-year-old Copeland will challenge Blagoy
Ivanov for the
World Series of Fighting heavyweight championship in the
WSOF
31 main event on Friday at the Foxwoods Resort Casino in
Mashantucket, Connecticut. The Idaho-born Copeland has a laid-back
Midwestern manner about him and never truly planned on throwing his
hat in the MMA ring.

Copeland was raised in Arkansas before moving to Fort Worth, Texas,
to study youth ministry at Dallas Baptist College. It was there in
2005 that he first tried his hand at Brazilian jiu-jitsu after a
college friend asked him to try a class.

“I really enjoyed BJJ,” Copeland told Sherdog.com. “It was a fun
way to stay in shape and help keep the weight off.”

Copeland in that gym befriended Justin Wren,
who was preparing for a fight. They started training together, and
after some time, Wren told Copeland he thought his athletic ability
and natural movement would make him a good fighter. Everything
changed for both men in 2009, when Wren was cast on Season 10 of
“The Ultimate Fighter” reality series. When the show ended, Wren
moved to Denver to train full-time at the
Grudge Training Center. He took Copeland with him.

Copeland has been a Grudge member ever since. It provided him with
the opportunity to train under some of the top coaches and work
alongside some of MMA’s best fighters. Copeland compiled a 4-1
record as an amateur and made his pro debut in 2012 at the age of
29, winning via guillotine choke submission in just 58 seconds. He
won his first eight bouts, six of them finishes, and captured the
Sparta Combat League heavyweight title in the process.

Top regional promotions took notice, and in 2014, Copeland signed
with
Resurrection Fighting Alliance. He fought Jan
Jorgensen for the heavyweight championship at RFA 16, where he
scored a technical knockout 4:49 into round one. He was 9-0, and
his athletic style, quick footwork and propensity for finishes made
him a person of interest in the heavyweight division.

The
Ultimate Fighting Championship called and paired Copeland with
Ruslan
Magomedov at UFC Fight Night “Edgar vs. Swanson” on Nov. 22,
2014. He lost a three-round unanimous decision. Copeland’s next
assignment inside the Octagon came against friend and former
training partner Jared
Rosholt, a three-time NCAA All-American wrestler. Rosholt
stopped Copeland on punches 3:12 into round three, and after two
consecutive defeats, the “Cuddly Bear” was released by the UFC.
Copeland sees value in the experience, even though it did not turn
out as he had hoped.

“The UFC has always been a dream of mine,” Copeland said. “I have
been watching it since high school.”

Copeland has gone 3-1 since being cut by the UFC, losing only to
unbeaten former Bellator
MMA champion Vitaly
Minakov. He views himself as an unfinished product with room to
improve.

“We all want to win and be successful at what we do,” he said. “We
are all still learning and growing. I am becoming a better fighter
every day.”

Copeland’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. He joined the World
Series of Fighting in March, earning a unanimous decision over
Mike
Hayes at WSOF 29. When a slot opposite Ivanov came open, WSOF
President Ray Sefo
thought of Copeland and offered him a chance to fight for the
championship.

“Ray called me up and told me the situation and asked if I wanted
the title fight,” Copeland said. “I told him, ‘Heck, yeah. Let’s do
it.’ You never know when you will get that opportunity again.”

Dethroning Ivanov will be no easy task. The 29-year-old Bulgarian
submitted Smealinho
Rama with a guillotine choke to win the WSOF heavyweight title
in June 2015 and then successfully defended it by stopping Derrick
Mehman with second-round punches four months later. Sefo
nevertheless likes what Copeland brings to the table.

“Josh has a solid ground game but is also very comfortable in the
pocket,” said Sefo, a 2000 K-1 World Grand Prix finalist. “I think
he has all the potential in the world, especially if he pushes the
pace and uses his hands. He is a very good counterpuncher.”

Copeland can join Grudge Training Center stablemate Justin
Gaethje as a WSOF champion with an upset victory over Ivanov.
However, his motivations go beyond the pursuit of a title.

“I just love competition and I love to encourage people,” Copeland
said. “I am not a cocky or a loudmouth person. I just want to help
people and compete at the level I am.”